As we come to the end of term, I would like to wish the students a relaxing break and a time to refresh and energise ready for Term 3.  For parents, I hope you also have a break, or at least a change from usual routines. For our teachers the mid term break is when they plan teaching and learning for the term ahead and I hope they also have time to spend with their family and friends.  Students return to school for Term 3 on Tuesday 22 July.

Reports
Reports on Student Academic achievement will be open to parents on Compass, this Friday afternoon.  Just a reminder that Sydney Catholic Schools have adjusted requirements for reports so that they are standardised across all 147 schools.  Teachers will give levels of achievement and effort for each of the curriculum areas along with a comment at the end of reports.

When you read your child’s report, please be mindful that the report is based on the learning for the year so far - a snapshot in time.  Teachers select an achievement grade based on a variety of learning and assessment tasks over the semester.  This might include samples of work, formal and informal testing and anecdotal records of achievements.  It is best to focus on how your child is achieving at this point in time rather than comparing to previous years as students may have changed stages or are at a different point of learning within the stage.  When looking at grades please carefully consider the achievement level descriptors associated with the report.  For Kindergarten students, achievement is allocated according to three levels - Basic, Sound and Thorough.  For students in Years 1 - 6, achievement is based on a five point scale - Elementary, Basic, Sound, Thorough, Extensive.  The first page of the report has an Explanatory guide which describes each level.

We recommend that you print a copy for your child’s report, particularly if your child is in Year 6, as you lose access to Compass if not continuing to a Sydney Catholic School High School. 

Parent Teacher Conferences
We are holding our Semester 1 Parent Teacher Conferences next week. This is an opportunity for you to discuss your child’s Academic Report and progress this year. Each teacher has been allocated set times to conduct their conferences. The conference is face to face, held at school, however if you prefer Zoom, please email your child’s teacher to let them know and they will send a Zoom link before the conference.  The conference should take no more than ten minutes.

If you haven't already, please book a time via Compass.  As you can imagine, teachers spend many hours writing reports and whilst the conference is not compulsory, we ask that if you do intend to participate, that you choose one of the times that your child’s teacher

Staff Development Day Reminder
Students will finish this term on Thursday 3 July and return to school Tuesday 22 July.  SCECS will be open for these days.  Our staff have two Staff Development Days, one organised by SCS Network and is the second in a series around Curriculum, Writing or Mathematics and the other is a combined Spirituality day with staff from Blessed Sacrament.  Thank you to Miss Jackson for her preparation for this day.